The
Laws of the Game (also known as the Laws of Football)
are the rules governing a game of association football (soccer).

Current
Laws of the Game

The
current Laws of the Game consists of 17 individual laws:

Law
1: The Field of Play

Law
2: The Ball

Law
3: The Number of Players

Law
4: The Players' Equipment

Law
5: The Referee

Law
6: The Assistant Referees

Law
7: The Duration of the Match

Law
8: The Start and Restart of Play

Law
9: The Ball In and Out of Play

Law
10: The Method of Scoring

Law
11: Offside

Law
12: Fouls and Misconduct

Law
13: Free Kicks

Law
14: The Penalty Kick

Law
15: The Throw-In

Law
16: The Goal Kick

Law
17: The Corner Kick

History
and development

The
Laws were first drawn up by Ebenezer Cobb Morley prior to being
refined at a meeting of the Football Association (FA) on 8 December
1863. Today the Laws of the Game are determined by the
International Football Association Board. The board was established on
6 December 1882 when representatives from the Scottish Football
Association (SFA), the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and the
Irish Football Association (IFA) (now the governing body in Northern
Ireland and not to be confused with the Football Association of
Ireland (FAI) the governing body in the Republic of Ireland) were
invited to attend a meeting in Manchester by the FA; previously games
between teams from different countries had to agree to which
countries' rules were used before playing. When the international
football body FIFA was founded in Paris in 1904 it immediately
declared that it would adhere to the rules laid down by the IFAB. The
growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of
FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913. Today the board is made up
of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of
the British associations.

The
original Laws of the Game were established by the FA in
December of 1863 and are shown below:

1.
The maximum length of the ground shall be 200 yds. and the
maximum breadth shall be 100 yards. The length and breadth shall
be marked off with flags. The goals shall be defined by two
upright posts 8 yds. apart, without any tape or bar across them.

2.
The winner of the toss shall have choice of goals. The game
shall be commenced by a place-kick from the centre of the ground
by the side losing the toss. The other side shall not approach
within 10 yds. of the ball until it is kicked off.

3.
After a goal is won, the losing side shall kick off, and the
goals shall be changed.

4.
A goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal-posts
or over the space between the goal-posts (at whatever height), not
being thrown, knocked on, or carried.

5.
When the ball is in touch, the first player who touches it
shall throw it from the point on the boundary line where it left
the ground in a direction at right angles with the boundary line,
and it shall not be in play until it has touched the ground.

6.
When a player has kicked the ball any one of the same side who
is nearer to the opponent's goal line is out of play and may not
touch the ball himself, nor in any way whatever prevent any other
player from doing so until the ball has been played, but no player
is out of play when the ball is kicked from behind the goal line.

7.
In case the ball goes behind the goal line, if a player on the
side to whom the goal belongs first touches the ball, one of his
side shall be entitled to a free kick from the goal line at the
point opposite the place where the ball shall be touched. If a
player of the opposite side first touches the ball, one of his
side shall be entitled to a free kick (but at the goal only) from
a point 15 yds. from the goal line opposite the place where the
ball is touched; the opposing side shall stand behind their goal
line until he has had his kick.

8.
If a player makes a fair catch, he shall be entitled to a free
kick, provided he claims it by making a mark with his heel at
once; and in order to take such a kick he may go back as far as he
pleases, and no player on the opposite side shall advance beyond
his mark until he has kicked.

9.
No player shall carry the ball.

10.
Neither tripping nor hacking shall be allowed and no player
shall use his hands to hold or push an adversary.

11.
A player shall not throw the ball or pass it to another.

12.
No player shall be allowed to take the ball from the ground
with his hands while it is in play under any pretence whatever.

13.
A player shall be allowed to throw the ball or pass it to
another if he made a fair catch or catches the ball on the first
bounce.

14.
No player shall be allowed to wear projecting nails, iron
plates, or gutta-percha1 on the soles or heels of his
boots.

Gutta-percha
is an inelastic natural latex, produced from the resin of the
Isonandra Gutta tree of Malaya. It was used for many purposes (e.g.
the core of golf balls; the insulation of telegraph cables) before the
discovery of superior synthetic materials.

A
football field (or pitch) is the playing surface for a
game of association
football (soccer). Its dimensions and markings are defined by the
Law 1 of the Laws
of the Game.

All
line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define.
For example, a ball on or over the touchline is still on the field of
play; a ball on the line of the goal area is in the goal area; and a
foul committed over the 16.5 m (18-yard)line has occurred in the
penalty area. Therefore a ball must wholly cross the touchline to be
out of play, and a ball must wholly cross the goal line (between the
goal posts) before a goal is scored; if any part of the ball is still
on or over the line, the ball is still in play.

The
field descriptions that apply to adult matches are described below.
Note that due to the original formulation of the Laws in England and
the early supremacy of the four British football associations within
IFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally
expressed in imperial
units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric
equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), however
popular use tends to continue to use traditional units.

Pitch
dimensions and markings

The
length of pitch for international matches should be in the range 100 m
- 110 m (110-120 yards) and the width should be in the range 65 m - 75
m (70-80 yards). For other matches the constraints are looser: 90 m -
120 m (100-130 yards) length by 45 m - 90 m (50-100 yards) width. The
pitch must be rectangular, this is longer than it is wide.

The
longer boundary lines are touch lines, while the shorter
boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines.

The
halfway line divides the pitch in half lengthways. Halfway
across the halfway line is the centre spot, from which
kick-offs are taken at the start of each playing period and after a
goal is scored. The centre circle (radius 9.15 m (10 yards))
surrounds this spot, and serves to indicate the distance opposing
players must stay from the ball at a kick-off.

In
each corner of the pitch is a corner arc (quarter-circle radius
1 m (1 yard) which marks the area from which a corner-kick may be
taken. Corner flags (minimum height 1.5 m (5 feet)) are required to be
placed at each corner; similar flagposts may be optionally placed 1 m
(1 yard) from each end of the halfway line.

A
goal area, penalty area, penalty spot and penalty
arc are marked in front of each goal; these are discussed below.

Goals

Goals
are placed at the centre of each goal-line. These consist of two
upright posts placed equidistant from the corner flagposts, joined at
the top by a horizontal crossbar. The inner edges of the posts must be
7.3 m (8 yards) apart, and the lower edge of the crossbar must be 2.44
m (8 feet) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal,
though are not required by the Laws.

Penalty
and goal areas

Two
rectangular boxes are marked out on the pitch in front of each goal.

The
goal area (colloquially "5.5 m (6 yard) box"),
consists of the area formed by the goal-line, two lines starting on
the goal-line 5.5 m (6 yards) from the goalposts and extending 5.5 m
(6 yards) into the pitch from the goal-line, and a line joining these.
Goal kicks and any free kick by the defending team may be taken from
anywhere in this area. Indirect free kicks awarded to the attacking
team within the goal area must be taken from the point on the line
parallel to the goal line nearest where an incident occurred; they can
not be taken further within the goal-area. Similarly drop-balls
that would otherwise occur in the goal area are taken on this line.

The
penalty area (colloquially "16.5 m (18 yard) box") is
similarly formed by the goal-line and lines extending from it, however
its lines commence 16.5 m (18 yards) from the goalposts and extend
16.5 m (18 yards) into the field. This area has a number of functions,
the most prominent being to denote where the goalkeeper may handle the
ball and where a foul by an attacker, usually punished by a direct
free kick, becomes punishable by a penalty
kick.

The
penalty mark (or "penalty spot") is immediately in
the middle of, and 11 m (12 yards)in front of, the goal; this is where
penalty kicks are taken from. The penalty arc (colloquially
"the D") is marked from the outside edge of the penalty
area, 9.15 m (10 yards) from the penalty mark; this marks an exclusion
zone for all players other than the kicker and the opposing goalkeeper
during a penalty kick.

Associated
areas

Aside
from the field of play, the Laws and by-laws can be used to regulate
related areas off the field. The most prominent of these is the technical
area, which defines the bench areas and nearby areas to which
coaching and managing staff are generally restricted. Note that the
referee's authority extends not only to the field of play, but also
its immediate surrounds, including the technical area.

A
football is a ball used to play one of the sports known as football.

As
the term football has diverged, the name of the ball itself may
refer to one of two basic shapes:

A
sphere
used in football/soccer
(or "association football") as well as Gaelic
football

An
approximate prolate
spheroid, which may be either:

those
with more rounded ends used in rugby
football and Australian
football

the
more pointed type used in American
football and Canadian
football

Association
football (soccer)

The
ball used in Association
football (soccer)
is called a football or soccer ball. Law
2 of the game specifies the ball to be an air-filled sphere
with a circumference
of 68–70 cm
(or 27–28 inches),
a weight of 410–450 g
(or 14–16 ounces),
inflated to a pressure
of 60–110 kPa
(or 8.5–15.6 psi),
and covered in leather
or "other suitable" material.

Modern
balls are stitched from 32 waterproofed panels, 12 regular pentagons
and 20 regular hexagons.
The first such was the Adidas
Telstar ball, the official ball of the MexicoWorld
Cup in 1970.
The Telstar's design of black pentagon/white hexagon has become the archetype,
still used for generic balls and symbolic representations of the game.
However premium branded balls, such as the Nike
Total 90 Aerow and Total 90 Aerow Hi-Vis (the official ball of the
English Premiership
in 2005),
have other more elaborate patterns.

Detailed
techniques involved in the design and construction of association
footballs are given at the Soccer
Ball World.

The
32-panel configuration is similar to the polyhedron
known as the truncated
icosahedron, except that it is more spherical, because the faces
bulge due to the pressure of the air inside. It can be also described
as a model for the buckminsterfullerene
(C60) molecule. The diameter of the association football
and the Buckminsterfullerene molecule are 22 cm and ca. 1 nm,
respectively, hence the size ratio is 200,000,000 : 1.

The
standard ball is a Size 5. Smaller sizes exist; Size 3 is standard for
team
handball; others are used in underage games or as novelty items.
Traditional, pre-1970, balls were monochrome (brown or white); they
were stitched from 18 oblong non-waterproof leather panels, similar to
the design of modern volleyballs
and Gaelic footballs, and laced to allow access to the internal air
bladder. There are also indoor footballs, which are made of one or two
pieces of plastic. Often these have designs printed on them to
resemble a leather ball.

About
80% of association footballs are made in Pakistan,
mainly in small workshops and factories. FIFA
and the major sports brands have taken public steps in response to
concerns been raised about the use of child
labour in the manufacture of association footballs.

American
and Canadian football

In
North
America, the term football refers to a ball which is used
to play American
football or Canadian
football. Nearly a prolate spheroid, it is slightly pointed at the
ends (unlike the more elliptical rugby ball). It is about 11 inches
(28 cm) long and about 22 inches (56 cm) in circumference at the
center. Balls are made of four pieces of leather stitched together. A
football has a rubber lining, which is inflated to an air pressure of
12.5–13.5 psi (86–93 kPa). The ball weighs 14–15 ounces
(397–425 g). Leather laces along one seam provide a grip for holding
and passing the ball. Footballs used in recreation may be made of
rubber or plastic as well. Regardless of the material used to make it,
the ball is sometimes colloquially referred to as a pigskin.

Gaelic
football

Gaelic
football is played with a spherical ball, roughly 25.4 cm (10 in) in
diameter and 68.6 cm (27 in) to 73.7 cm (29 in) in circumference.
A dry ball weighs between 370 g (13 oz) and 425 grams (15 oz). Gaelic
footballs are also the standard balls used in International
rules football.

Rugby
football

The
football used in rugby is a prolate spheriod essentially elliptical
in profile. Traditionally made of brown leather, modern rugby balls
are manufactured in a variety of colors and patterns. A regulation
rugby ball is 28–30 cm (11–11.8 inches) long and 58–62 cm
(22.8–24.4 inches) in circumference at its widest point. It weighs
410–460 grams (14.5–16.2 ounces) and is inflated to 65.71–68.75
kPa (or 9.5–10 psi).

Australian
football

The
football used in Australian
football is similar to the rugby ball, however the Australian
Football is generally slightly smaller, and of a more rounded shape. A
regulation Football is 720–730 mm in circumference, and 545–555 mm
transverse circumference, and inflated to a pressure of 62–76Kpa. In
the AFL,
the balls are red for matches that take place during the day, and
yellow for matches that take place at night.

Football
is a team
sport played between two teams of eleven players each. It is a
ball game played on a rectangular grass field with a goal
at each end. The objective of the game is to score by maneuvering the
ball into the opposing goal. Other than the goalkeepers, players may
not intentionally use their hands or arms to propel the ball in
general play. The winner is the team which has scored most goals at
the end of the match.

The
sport is also known by other
names in some parts of the English-speaking
world, usually association football and its contraction, soccer.
These names are often used to distinguish the game from other
codes of football, since the
word "football" may be used to refer to several quite
different games.

Football
is played at a professional level all over the world, and millions of
people regularly go to football stadia
to follow their favourite team, whilst millions more avidly watch the
game on television. A very large number of people also play football
at an amateur level.

According
to a survey conducted by Fédération
Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), football's
governing body, published in the spring of 2001, over 240 million
people regularly play football in more than 200 countries in every
part of the world. Its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements
have no doubt aided its spread and growth in popularity. In many parts
of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important
role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even
nations; it is therefore often claimed to be the most popular sport
in the world.

Nature
of the game

Two
teams of eleven players each compete to get a round ball (itself known
as a football)
into the other team's goal, thereby scoring a goal. The team which has
scored the most goals at the conclusion of the game is the winner; if
both teams have an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. The
primary rule for this objective is that players, other than the
goalkeepers, may not intentionally touch the ball with their
hands or arms during play (though they do use their hands during a throw-in
restart). Although players mainly use their feet to move the ball
around, they may use any part of their bodies other than their hands
or arms.

In
typical game play, players attempt to move towards a goal through
individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling (running with the
ball close to their feet); by passing the ball from team-mate to
team-mate; and by taking shots at the goal. Opposition players may try
to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through
tackling the opponent who controls the ball.

Football
is generally a free-flowing game with the ball in play at all times
except when the ball has left the field of play by wholly crossing
over a boundary line (either on the ground or in the air), or play has
been stopped by the referee. When play has been stopped, it
recommences with a specified restart (see below).

The
game is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws
of the Game, which are summarised below.

The
Laws of the Game

History
and development

The
Laws of the Game are based on efforts made in the mid-19th
century to standardise the rules of the widely varying games of
football played at the independent
schools of England.
The first set of rules resembling the modern game were produced at Trinity
College, Cambridge in 1848,
at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester
and Shrewsbury,
but they were far from universally adopted. During the 1850s,
many clubs were formed, thoughout the English-speaking world,
independent of schools or universities, to play various forms of
football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most
notably the Sheffield
Football Club (formed by former pupils from Harrow)
in 1857,
which led to formation of a Sheffield
FA in 1867. In 1862,
J.C. Thring of Uppingham
School also devised an influential set of rules.

These
efforts contributed to the formation of The
Football Association (The FA) in 1863
which first met on the evening of 26
October 1863
at the Freemason's Tavern in Great Queen Street, London.
The only school to be represented on this occasion was Charterhouse.
The Freemason's Tavern was the setting for five more meetings between
October and December, which eventually produced the first
comprehensive set of rules. At the final meeting, the first FA
treasurer, who was the representative from Blackheath,
withdrew his club from the FA over the removal of two draft rules at
the previous meeting, the first which allowed for the running with the
ball in hand and the second, obstructing such a run by hacking
(kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Other English
rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA but instead
in 1871
formed the Rugby
Football Union. The eleven remaining clubs, under the charge of Ebenezer
Cobb Morley, went on to ratify the original fourteen rules of the
game. Despite this, the Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the
1870s.

Today
the laws of the game are determined by the International
Football Association Board (IFAB). The Board was formed in 1882
after a meeting in Manchester
of The Football Association, the Scottish
Football Association, the Football
Association of Wales, and the Irish
Football Association. The Fédération Internationale de Football
Association FIFA,
the international football body, was formed in Paris
in 1904
and declared that they would adhere to the rules laid down by the IFAB.
The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance
of FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913.
Today the board is made up of four representatives from FIFA and one
representative from each of the four British associations.

Overview
of the Laws

There
are seventeen Laws in the official Laws
of the Game. The same laws are designed to apply to all levels of
football, although the preface to the Laws does grant national
associations the ability to authorise certain modifications for
juniors, seniors, women, etc. The Laws are often framed in broad
terms, which allows flexibility in their application depending on the
nature of the game. In addition to the seventeen Laws, numerous IFAB
decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of
football. The Laws can be found on the official
FIFA website.

Players
and equipment

Each
team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes),
one of whom must be the goalkeeper. Competition rules may state a
minimum of seven players are required to constitute a team. There are
a variety of positions
in which the outfield players are strategically placed by a
manager/coach, though these positions are not defined or required by
the Laws.

One
player on each team must be designated as that team's goalkeeper. The
goalkeeper is the only player allowed to handle the ball with his
hands or arms, but is restricted to doing so within the penalty
area (also known as the "box" or "18 yard
box") in front of his own goal.

The
basic equipment players are required to wear includes a shirt (or
jersey), shorts, socks (or stockings), footwear and adequate shin
guards. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is
dangerous to themselves or another player (including jewellery or
watches).

A
number of players may be replaced by substitutes
during the course of the game. The maximum substitutions permitted in
international games and in national level leagues is three, though
substitution numbers may be varied in other leagues. The usual reasons
for a player's replacement include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness,
a tactical switch, or to waste a little time at the end of a finely
poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been
substituted may not take further part in the match.

Officials

A
game is presided over by a referee,
who has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in
connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law
5), and whose decisions regarding facts connected with play are final.
The referee is assisted by two assistant
referees (formerly called linesmen). In many high-level games
there is also a fourth
official, who assists the referee and may replace another official
should the need arise.

Playing
field

The
length of the field (pitch) for international adult matches should be
in the range 100-130 yards (90-120m) and the width should be in the
range 50-100 yards (45-90m).The pitch must be rectangular, with the
length of the touch line longer than the width of the goal line.

The
longer boundary lines are touch lines, while the shorter
boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines. On
the goal line at each end of the field is a goal. The inner edges of
the goal posts must be 8 yards (7.32m) apart, and the lower edge of
the crossbar must be 8 feet (2.44m) above the ground. Nets are usually
placed behind the goal, though are not required by the Laws.

In
front of each goal is an area of the field known as the penalty
area (colloquially "penalty box", "18 yard
box" or simply "the box"). This area consists of the
area formed by the goal-line, two lines starting on the goal-line 18
yards (16.5m) from the goalposts and extending 18 yards into the pitch
from the goal-line, and a line joining these. This area has a number
of important functions, the most prominent being to denote where the
goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a foul by a defender which
would usually punished by a direct free kick becomes punishable by a penalty
kick.

The
field has other field markings and defined areas; these are described
in the main article above.

Duration

Standard
durations

A
standard adult football match consists of two periods (known as
halves) of 45 minutes each. There is usually a 15-minute break between
halves, known as half time. The end of the match is known as
full-time.

Time
added on

The
referee is the official timekeeper for the match, and it is part of
his duties to make allowance for time lost through substitutions,
injured players requiring attention, cautions and dismissals, sundry
time wasting, etc. When making such an allowance for time lost, the
referee is often said to be "adding time on"; the added time
is commonly referred to as stoppage time or injury time.
The amount of time is at the sole discretion of the referee, and the
referee alone signals when the match has been completed. There are no
other timekeepers, although assistant referees carry a watch and may
provide a second opinion if requested by the referee. In matches where
a fourth official is appointed, towards the end of the half the
referee will signal how many minutes remain to be played, and the
fourth official then signals this to players and spectators by holding
up a board showing this number.

Note
that there is often semantic debate as to whether the referee is
"adding on" time to the end of a half, or rather treating
time during stoppages as though it never existed as part of the match
time; this distinction has little bearing on the practical conduct of
a game, however it may be noted that the pre-1997
wording of the laws stated that the referee "shall ... allow the
full or agreed time adding thereto all time lost through injury
or accident" (Law V), and later FIFA guidelines regarding the
annotation of goal scoring times suggested that time is indeed
"added-on" to the end of the agreed half period.

Extra
time and shootouts

If
tied at the end of regulation time, in some competitions the game may
go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods.
If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow
the use of penalty
shootouts (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks
from the penalty mark") to determine which team will progress to
the next stage of the tournament. Note that goals scored during extra
time periods count towards the final score of the game, unlike kicks
from the penalty mark which are only used to decide the team that
progresses to the next part of the tournament (with goals scored not
making up part of the final score).

Competitions
utilising two-leg stages (i.e. where each round involves the two teams
playing each other twice) may utilise the so-called away
goals rule to attempt to determine which team progresses in the
event of the teams being equal on wins; however, should results still
be equal following this calculation kicks from the penalty mark are
usually required. Other competitions may require a tied game to be
replayed.

Golden
and silver goal experiments

In
the late 1990s,
the IFAB experimented with ways of making matches more likely to end
without requiring kicks
from the penalty mark, which were often seen as an undesirable way
to end a match.

These
involved rules ending a game in extra time early, either when the
first goal in extra time was scored (golden
goal), or at the end of the first period of extra time if one team
was by then leading (silver
goal). Both these experiments have been discontinued by IFAB.

Starts
and re-starts

Each
playing period in football commences with a kick-off,
which is a set kick from the centre-spot by one team. At kick-off all
players are required to be in their half of the field, and all players
of the non-kicking team must also remain outside the centre-circle,
until the ball is kicked and moved. Kick-offs are also used to restart
play following a goal.

From
the initial kick-off of a period until the end of that period, the
ball is "in play" at all times until the end of the playing
period, except when the ball leaves the field of play or play is
stopped by the referee; in these cases play is re-started by one of
the following eight methods:

Kick-off:
following a goal by the opposing team, or to begin each period of
play. (Law
8).

Throw-in:
when the ball has wholly crossed the touchline; awarded to
opposing team to that which last touched the ball. (Law
15).

Goal
kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a
goal having been scored and having last been touched by an
attacker; awarded to defending team. (Law
16).

Corner
kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a
goal having been scored and having last been touched by a
defender; awarded to attacking team. (Law
17).

Indirect
free kick: awarded to the opposing team following
"non-penal" fouls, certain technical infringements, or
when play is stopped to caution/send-off an opponent without a
specific foul having occurred. (Law
13).

Penalty
kick: awarded to fouled team following "penal" foul
having occurred in their opponent's penalty area. (Law
14).

Dropped-ball:
occurs when the referee has stopped play for any other reason
(e.g. a serious injury to a player, interference by an external
party, or a ball becoming defective). (Law
8).

Fouls
and misconduct

A
foul
occurs when a player (not a substitute) commits a specific offence
listed in the Laws of the Game when the ball is in play. The offences
that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. "Penal fouls",
for example handling the ball, tripping an opponent, pushing an
opponent, etc, are punishable by a direct
free kick or penalty
kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are
punishable by an indirect
free kick.

Misconduct
may occur at any time, and may be committed by both players and
substitutes. Whilst the offences that constitute misconduct are
listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of
"unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events
that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as
specific offences. Misconduct may be punished by a caution
(yellow card) or sending-off
(red card).

Offside

The
offside law limits the ability of attacking players to remain forward
(i.e. closer to the opponent's goal-line) of both the ball and the
second last defending player. It is often assumed that the purpose of
this law is to prevent "goal scrounging" or "cherry
picking", but in fact the offside law has similar roots to the
offside law in rugby. The details and application of this law are
complex, and often result in controversy: for more information on
offside please refer to the main article above.

Central/North
America & Caribbean: Confederation
of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF; also known as The Football Confederation)

Europe:
Union of
European Football Associations (UEFA)

Oceania:
Oceania
Football Confederation (OFC)

South
America: Confederación
Sudamericana de Fútbol (South American Football
Confederation; CONMEBOL)

The
recognised various national associations (see football
around the world) oversee football within their jurisdictions.
These are affiliated both with FIFA directly and also with their
respective continental confederations.

Note
that the Laws of the Game are not maintained by FIFA itself; rather
they are maintained by the International
Football Association Board, as discussed in the history
and development section above.

Major
international competitions

Worldwide
international competitions

The
major international competition in football is the World
Cup organised by FIFA. This competition takes place over a
four-year period. Over 190 national teams compete in qualifying
tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place
in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years,
now involves 32 national teams (increased from 24 in 1998)
competing over a four-week period. The next World Cup takes place in
Germany 2006.

There
has been a football
tournament at the Summer
Olympic Games since 1900,
except at the 1932
games in Los
Angeles. Originally this was for amateurs only, however since the 1984
Summer Olympics professionals have been permitted as well, albeit
with certain restrictions which effectively prevent countries from
fielding their strongest sides. Currently, the Olympic men's
tournament is played at Under-23 level with a restricted number of
over-age players per team; consequently the competition is not
generally considered to carry the same international significance and
prestige as the World Cup. A women's tournament was added in 1996;
in contrast to the men's event, the women's Olympic tournament is
played by full international sides without age restrictions. It thus
carries international prestige considered comparable to that of the FIFA
Women's World Cup.

Major
international competitions

The
major international competitions of the world and the continental
confederations, followed by their major club events where appropriate,
are:

Names
of the game

The
rules of football were codified in England by the Football Association
in 1863,
and the name association football was coined to distinguish the
game from the other
forms of football played at the time, specifically rugby
football. The term soccer first appeared in the 1880s
as a slang abbreviation of Association football.

Today
the sport is known by a number of names throughout the
English-speaking world, the most common being football and soccer;
this has generated debate regarding the "correct" name for
the sport. The term used depends largely on the need to differentiate
the sport from other codes of football followed in a community. Football
is the term used by FIFA, the sport's world governing body, and the International
Olympic Committee. For more details of naming throughout the
world, please refer to the main articles above.

A
referee presides over a game of association
football (soccer). The referee has "full authority to enforce
the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been
appointed" (Law 5), and the referee's decisions regarding facts
connected with play are final, so far as the result of the game is
concerned.

The
referee's numerous powers and duties are described by Law 5 of the
Laws of the Game. Amongst other things, these include: Enforcing the
Laws of the Game; Controlling the match in co-operation with the
assistant referees (and fourth official where applicable);
stop/suspend/terminate the match if appropriate; Controlling the
restart of play; Acting as the timekeeper and recordkeeper of the
game; Disciplining players and officials as required; etc.

The
referee is assisted by two assistant
referees (formerly known as linesmen), and in some matches also by
a fourth
official. The match officials utilise a positioning system known
as the diagonal
system of control.

Referees
and their assistants wear a uniform comprised of a jersey, shorts and
socks. Traditionally that uniform was almost always all black, unless
one of the teams was wearing a very dark jersey in which case the
referee would wear another colour of jersey (usually red) to
distinguish himself from both teams. At the 1994
World Cup finals, new jerseys were introduced that gave officials
a choice of burgundy, yellow or white. Since then, most referees have
worn either yellow or black, but the colours adopted by individual
associations vary greatly.

The
vast majority of referees are amateur, though may be paid a small fee
and/or expenses for their services. However, in some countries a
limited number of referees - who mainly officiate in their country's
top division - are employed full-time by their national associations
and receive a retainer at the start of every season plus match fees.

Referees
officiating adult competitive international games are required to be
selected from the FIFA panel of referees; this restriction does not
necessarily apply to non-competitive (so-called friendly) games or
youth games.

History

The
term referee originated in association football. Originally the team
captains would consult with each other in order to resolve any dispute
on the pitch. Eventually this role was delegated to an umpire.
Each team would bring their own partisan umpire allowing the team
captains to concentrate on the game. Later, the referee, a third
"neutral" official was added. The referee would be
"referred to" if the umpires could not resolve a dispute.
The referee did not take his place on the pitch until 1891. Then,
umpires became linesmen (now officially called assistant referees).
Today, in many amateur football matches, each side will still supply
their own partisan linesman to assist the neutral referee (if any)
appointed by the governing football association: this is usually due
to there not being enough officials available to have three present at
every match.

Referees
use a whistle
to indicate the commencement of play, to stop play due to an
infringement of other reason, to indicate half-time and full-time, and
as an adjunct to verbal communication in other situations. Before the
introducation of the whistle, refreees indicated their decisions by
waving a hankerchief. The whistles that were first adopted by referees
were made by Joseph Hudson of the ACME Whistle Company who first began
to mass produce whistles in the 1870s for the Metropolitan
Police Service. It is frequently stated the referee's whistle was
first used in a game between Nottingham
Forest and Sheffield Norfolk in 1878; however no such fixture is
known to have taken place between the two clubs in that year.

Offside
law

In
association
football (soccer), offside is covered by Law 11 of the Laws
of the Game. Whilst the law may appear simple, its details and
application can be complex.

The
application of the offside law is best considered in three steps:
Offside position; Offside offence; and Offside sanction.

Offside
position

A
player is in an offside position if "he is nearer to his
opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last
opponent", unless he is in his own half of the field of play. A
player level with the second last opponent is considered to be in an
onside position. Note that the last two defenders can be either the goalkeeper
and another defender, or two ordinary defenders. Also note that
offside position is determined when the ball is touched/played by a
team-mate — a player's offside position status is not then altered
by them or defenders running forwards or backwards.

It
is important to note that being in an offside position is not an
offence in itself.

Offside
offence

A
player in an offside position is only committing an offside offence
if, "at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his
team", the player is in the referee's opinion involved in active
play by: interfering with play; interfering with an opponent; or
gaining an advantage by being in that position.

Determining
whether a play is in "active play" can be complex. A player
is not committing an offside offence if the player receives the ball
directly from a throw-in, goal kick or corner kick.

FIFA
issued new guidelines for interpreting the offside law in 2003 and
these were incorporated in law 11 in July 2005. The new wording seeks
to more precisely define the three cases as follows:

Interfering
with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by
a teammate.

Interfering
with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or
being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's
line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which,
in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.

Gaining
an advantage by being in an offside position means playing a ball
that rebounds to him off a post or crossbar or playing a ball that
rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside
position.

The
interpretation of these new definitions was still proving
controversial in December 2005, largely over what movements a player
in an offside position can make without being judged to be interfering
with an opponent.

Offside
sanction

The
sanction for an offside offence is an indirect
free kick to the opposing team, from where the offence occurred.

Officiating

In
enforcing this law, the referee
depends greatly on his assistant
referee, who generally keeps in line with the second last defender
in his relevant end (exact positioning techniques are more complex).

The
assistant referees' task with regards to off-side can be difficult, as
they need to keep up with attacks and counter attacks, consider which
players are in an offside position when the ball is played (often from
the other end of the field), and then determine whether the offside
positioned players become involved in active play. The risk of false
judgement is further enhanced by the foreshortening
effect, which occurs when the distance between attacking player and
the assistant referee is significantly different from the distance to
the defending player, and the assistant referee is not directly in
line with the defender. The difficulty of off-side officiating is
often underestimated by spectators. Trying to judge if a player is
level with an opponent at the moment the ball is kicked is not easy:
if an attacker and a defender are running in opposite directions, they
can be two metres apart in a tenth of a second.

History

It
is often assumed that the offside law is a recent addition to combat
"goal scrounging" or "cherry picking", where
attacking players hang around near the opposing goal in case the ball
gets kicked upfield, but in fact it dates back to the early years of
the game, and was much stricter in the past than it is today. A player
was "off his side" if he was standing in front of the ball
(compare with the current offside
law in rugby—a
game descended from the same roots), that is, between the ball and the
opponent's goal. This was by no means universal —the original Sheffield
F.C. rules had no offside, and players known as "kick
throughs" were positioned permanently near the opponents' goal.

In
1848, HC
Malden held a meeting at his Trinity
College, Cambridge rooms, that addressed the problem.
Representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester
and Shrewsbury
attended, each bringing their own set of rules. They sat down a little
after 4pm and by five to midnight had drafted what is thought to be
the first set of "Cambridge Rules". Malden is quoted as
saying how "very satisfactorily they worked".

Unfortunately
no copy of these 1848 rules exists today, but they are thought to have
included laws governing throw-ins, goal-kicks, halfway line markings,
re-starts, and the disallowing of holding and pushing. They even
allowed for a string to be used as a cross bar.

Slowly,
as these rules were tried, tested, written and re-written over the
following years, a revised set of Cambridge Rules was drawn up in 1856.
A copy of these rules, thought to be the oldest set still in
existence, can be found in the Shrewsbury School library.

As
football developed in the 1860s
and 1870s,
the offside law proved the biggest argument between the clubs.
Sheffield got rid of the "kick throughs" by amending their
laws so that one member of the defending side was required between a
forward player and the opponent's goal; the Football Association also
compromised slightly and adopted the Cambridge idea of three. Finally,
Sheffield came into line with the F.A., and "three players"
were the rule until 1925.

The
change to "two players" rule led to an immediate increase in
goal scoring. 4,700 goals were scored in 1,848 Football League games
in 1924/25.
It rose to 6,373 goals (from the same number of games) in 1925/26.

In
1990 the
law was amended to consider an attacker to be onside if level with the
second last opponent. This change was part of a general movement by
the game's authorities to make the rules more conducive to attacking
football and help the game to flow more freely.

Offside
trap

The
offside trap is a defensive tactic. When an attacking player is making
a run up the field with a team-mate ready to kick the ball up to him,
the defenders will move up-field in order to put the attacker behind
them just before the ball is kicked, hence putting the attacker in an
offside position when the ball is kicked. Defenders using this tactic
often attempt to bring an attacker's potential offside status to the
attention of the assistant referee, typically by shouting or raising
their arm.

The
use of the trap is often derided as making for boring football.
However, it can be a risky strategy; if the offside trap fails, the
attacking players will have an almost clear run towards the goal. The
2005 rule changes have made it even more perilous as a tactic.

One
of the best-known defenders to employ the offside trap was Billy
McCracken of Newcastle
United. It is claimed his play pressured officials to modify the
laws in 1925,
reducing the required number of defenders between the attacker and the
goal line from three to two.

Penalty
kick

A
penalty kick is a type of free kick in association
football (soccer), taken from twelve yards (eleven metres) out
from goal and with only the goalkeeper
of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.

A
penalty kick is performed during normal play. Similar kicks are made
in a 'penalty shootout' to determine who progresses after a tied
match; though similar in procedure these are not penalty
kicks and are governed by different rules: see Penalty
shootout (football).

Award

A
penalty kick may be awarded when a defending player commits a foul
punishable by a direct
free kick (a so-called penal foul) against an opponent,
within their own penalty
area (commonly known as "the box", "18 yard
box" or "16 metre box"). Note that it is the location
of the offence — and not the position of the ball — that defines
whether a foul is punishable by a penalty kick or direct free kick,
provided the ball is in play.

Procedure

The
penalty kick is taken from the penalty mark, which is a midline spot
12 yards (11 metres) from the goal. The penalty kick taker must be
clearly identified to the referee.

All
players other than the defending goalkeeper and the penalty taker
must be outside the penalty area, behind the penalty mark, and at
least ten yards from the ball (i.e. outside the penalty arc) until
the ball is kicked. The goalkeeper must remain between the goalposts
on the goal-line facing the ball until the ball is kicked, but may
move from side to side along the goal-line.

After
the referee signals for the kick to be taken, the kicker must kick
the ball in a forward direction (not necessarily at the goal,
however this is almost always the case). The ball is in play once it
has been kicked and moved, and from this point other players may
enter the penalty area and play continues as normal, however most
often a goal has already been scored.

The
penalty kick is a form of direct free kick, meaning that a goal may
be scored directly from it. If a goal is not scored, play continues
as usual. As with all free kicks, the kicker may not play the ball a
second time, until it has been touched by another player, even after
a rebound from the posts. However, a penalty kick is unusual in
that, unlike general play, external interference directly after the
kick has been taken may result in the kick being retaken (rather
than the usual dropped-ball).

Infringements

Infractions
of the penalty kick law (goalkeeper forward movement, encroaching
into forbidden areas) by either team are dealt with using an
advantage concept.

Generally:

For
infractions by the defending team, should a goal be scored it
stands, otherwise the kick is retaken.

For
infractions by the kicking team, should a goal be scored the
kick is retaken, otherwise an indirect
free kick is awarded against his side.

For
infractions by both teams, the kick is retaken.

If
the kicker plays the ball twice (including following up a
rebound off the goalpost not touched by the goalkeeper), an indirect
free kick is awarded against his side, as is usual for free
kicks.

The
referee may also caution (yellow card) players for infringements of
the penalty kick law, e.g. repeated encroaching into the penalty
area. Note that in practice, most minor penalty kick infractions are
not penalised.

Other
offences that occur during a penalty kick are dealt with in the
usual way.

History

The
invention of the penalty kick is credited to the goalkeeper and
businessman William
McCrum in 1890
in Milford,
County Armagh, Northern
Ireland. The Irish
Football Association presented the idea to the International
Football Association Board and finally after much debate, the
board approved the idea on 2
June 1891.
It was introduced in the 1891-92
season.

Throw-in

A
throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of association
football (soccer).

Award

A
throw-in is awarded to the opponents of the team that last touched
the ball, when the ball leaves the field
of play by wholly crossing a touch line (either on the ground or
in the air).

Procedure

The
throw-in is taken from the point where it crossed the touch line.
Opposing players must remain at least 2m from the thrower until the
ball is in play.

At
the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower must face the field
of play, have part of each foot on the ground on or outside the
touch line, and use both hands to deliver the ball from behind and
over his head.

The
ball becomes in play as soon as it enters the field of play.

A
goal may not be scored directly from a throw-in. A player may not be
penalised for being in an offside
position direct from a throw-in.

Infringements

If
an opposing player fails to respect the required distance before the
ball is in play or otherwise unfairly distracts or impedes the
thrower they may receive a caution
(yellow card).

If
the thrower fails to deliver the ball as per the required procedure,
or delivers it from a point other than where the ball left the field
of play, the throw-in is awarded to the opposing team.

It
is an offence for the thrower to touch the ball a second time until
it has been touched by another player; this is punishable by an indirect
free kick to the defending team from where the offence occurred,
unless the second touch was also a more serious handling offence, in
which case it is punishable by a direct
free kick or penalty
kick, as appropriate.

Goal
kick

A
goal kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association
football (soccer).

Award

A
goal kick is awarded to the defending team when the ball leaves the field
of play by wholly crossing the goal line (either on the ground
or in the air) without a goal having been scored, having been last
touched by an attacking player.

Procedure

The
ball is initially placed anywhere within the defending goal area.
All opposing players must be outside the penalty
area until the ball is in play.

The
ball becomes in play as soon as it is kicked and leaves the penalty
area.

A
goal may be scored directly from a goal kick, but only against the
opposing side (i.e. an own goal may not be scored). A player
may not be penalised for being in an offside
position direct from a goal kick.

Infringements

Opposing
players must retire the required distance as stated above. Failure
to do so may constitute misconduct and be punished by a caution
(yellow card). Furthermore, if an opposing player enters the penalty
area before the ball is in play, the goal kick is retaken.

If
a defending player other than the kicker touches the ball after it
is kicked but before it is in play, the goal kick is retaken.
However, it is an offence for the kicker to touch the ball a second
time once the ball has left play, until it has been touched by
another player; this is punishable by an indirect
free kick to the defending team from where the offence occurred,
unless the second touch was also a more serious handling offence, in
which case it is punishable by a direct
free kick or penalty
kick, as appropriate.

Corner
kick

A
picture of the exact moment the blue-white team's corner kick
is taken.

A
corner kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association
football (soccer).

Award

A
corner kick is awarded to the attacking team when the ball leaves
the field
of play by wholly crossing the goal line (either on the ground
or in the air) without a goal having been scored, having been last
touched by a defending player.

Procedure

The
ball is initially placed wholly within the corner arc closest to
where the ball went out of play. The corner arc is located at the
intersection of the goal line and touch line, and has a radius of 1
yard. All defending players must be at least 10 yards (9.15m) from
the ball until the ball is in play.

The
ball becomes in play as soon as it is kicked an moves. A
goal may be scored directly from a corner kick, but only against the
opposing side (i.e. an own
goal may not be scored). A player may not be penalised for
being in an offside
position direct from a corner kick.

Infringements

Opposing
players must retire the required distance as stated above. Failure
to do so may constitute misconduct and be punished by a caution
(yellow card).

It
is an offence for the kicker to touch the ball a second time until
it has been touched by another player; this is punishable by an indirect
free kick to the defending team from where the offence occurred,
unless the second touch was also a more serious handling offence, in
which case it is punishable by a direct
free kick or penalty
kick, as appropriate.

Strategy

A
corner kick may result in a good scoring opportunity, either
directly (rarely), or through getting the ball to teamates in front
of the net, known as a cross, where the ball is often played
by a "header". An alternative strategy is to play a short
corner, in which the ball is kicked to a player located
closer to the kicker, between the corner and the goal area. This is
usually used to move to ball away from the goal-line in order to
create a better angle on the goal.

The
defenders may elect to form a "wall" to attempt to force
the ball to be kicked to an area they deem to be readily defencible,
however must remain at least 10 yards from the ball until it is in
play.

Alternative
as a tie-breaker

The
number of corner kicks awarded to each team has been suggested as an
alternative method of tie-breaking to the current penalty
shootout method. The theory behind this suggestion is that the
team which during the course of play has been awarded the most
corner kicks is likely to have dominated play, forcing their
opponents to make more high-risk tackles and their goalkeeper to
make more saves in which he was not able to gain possession of the
ball but rather merely deflect it across the line outside of the
goal or over the crossbar. The use of corner-kick counts as a
tie-breaker has not been approved by the International
Football Association Board, and as such is not used in any
high-level competition.

During
the World Cup, many of the stadiums will be officially known by
different names, as FIFA prohibits sponsorship
of stadium names unless the stadium sponsors are also official
FIFA sponsors. For example, Allianz Arena will be known during the
competition as "FIFA World Cup Stadium, Munich" (or in
German: "FIFA WM-Stadion München"). These new names are
reflected in the table. Of the twelve hosting stadia, all but one
(Leipzig) are in the former West Germany.